Cold Hearted
by TheCrystalLotus
Summary: Ayumi Souma is the cold hearted Arctic fox. The story of fox is not a pleasant one, and Ayumi prefers to be alone because of it. Ayumi's animal talks to her and is her only friend, however, with new problems arising and Ayumi being the center of all of them, will her fox companion be enough? Or will she have to let those who care about her in, breaking her protective shell?
1. Chapter 1: The Escape

**Crystal: Hi! This is my first story! I hope you like it and whoever reviews first will get a cookie (holds a basket of cookies)! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own fruits basket or any of the characters but my own.**

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_One day, God decided to invite all the animals of the zodiac to a banquet. He sent out the Arctic fox, to give all the animals of the zodiac an invitation. The Arctic fox was God's loyal companion and friend and he trusted her like no other. All of the other animals loved the fox as well. Her beauty surpassed others by far. She could solve the most complicated of problems. She would help anyone in need. She seemed like the perfect animal and friend. _

_The fox was different from most animals. She had been born from the mists of the oasis of life. This oasis was not found in the middle of the desert, rather in the middle of the dark forest. God had not given her any of his power, but the fox was his equal. The more power God had, the less power the fox had, vice versa. The two had to always be equal. _

_The only flaw that the fox had, was her bountiful basket of kindness. She would always be kind to everyone and everything, from the evilest of creatures, to the shyest. The other animals were always warning her that this would someday get her into trouble but she replied, "Even if I am deceived, at least I would have shown the cheater an example of kindness."_

_However, there was one who hated the fox, but pretended to be her friend. The cat, was a proud creature, and did not like to be surpassed in everything by the fox. She helped him with everything, and considered him to be one of her best friends. The cat considered this but eventually, the feeling of revenge won over and he devised a plan to get even with the fox. _

_The cat made his way to the grand palace of God. The day before, he had gone to see the dragon, asking and gaining his permission to have a power potion, by pretending to have a friend, not part of the Juunishi, in need of it. When he stood before God, the cat kneeled down before him lying, "As a gift from me God, please take this water from the purest spring around." God accepted the potion, gulping it down in one giant swig. The cat hid it well, but inside, was smirking with delight. _

_Unbeknownst to him, God had grown a lot stronger, leaving the fox to weakness and sickliness. On the way to the cat's house, fox collapsed. As part of his plan, the cat ran back to his house and found the fox lying there. "Fox, my friend!" he exclaimed in shock. "What has happened to you? I shall take you inside my home, where you shall be treated." _

_The cat dragged the fox inside his house, and set her down, allowing her to rest for a while. But even the now twisted cat, knew that rest wouldn't make a difference, until the potion wore off, and she gained equal power. Deciding this was the right time, the cat quietly unsheathed the blade he had hidden, and slowly made his way over to the almost unconscious fox. When the fox saw the glint of the steel knife, she gasped. "Cat, what are you doing?" she asked in surprise._

"_Making my life a whole lot better!" replied the cat spookily, bringing the knife down with a "whoosh!". The Arctic fox was barely able to bolt up quickly and run away before being severed by the knife. _

_The Arctic fox ran back to her home, and collapsed, panting. She did not want to tell any of the animals what had occurred the afternoon, least of all, God. She did not want to cause a fear or disturbance on the night of the big banquet. However, the rat had seen the whole thing, and instead of reporting it to God, decided to play a trick on the cat instead. _

_While fox was busy telling the rest of the animals about the banquet, recovered from her power loss, the rat ran over to the cat residence, and told the cat that the banquet was the next day, pretending that he knew of nothing that had happened. The fox, being wise, knew that the rat had devised this plan and was planning to execute it, did nothing to stop the rat. _

_Her trust in all the animals, especially the cat had been shattered the day. She did not mind the cat missing the banquet. In fact, she was happy that the cat had missed the banquet. She wanted him to suffer for what he had done. Her thoughts slowly became vengeful, and all the animals watched in misery, how after the banquet, the fox slowly turned into a cold hearted, mistrustful animal, leaving behind the shell of the kind animal she once was. _STOP!

My screaming "stop" in my mind had worked, as my eyes snapped open. I really wished that when I snapped my eyes open, they would be able to see perfectly clear, and be spooky, like in the movies, rather than blurry. But that, unfortunately, was not possible for me. I blinked a couple of more times, before swinging my legs off the bed. I had been having that dream incessantly for the past two years now.

I walked over to the wood door, testing the doorknob. Still locked. I had been under lockdown for at least 3 months now. Someone had been giving me necessities (clothes, soap, food) but this was getting tiring. I almost wished that I hadn't challenged Akito the other day. Akito has been getting out of control lately, taking his anger out on everyone and everything, so I decided to put a stop to it. Of course, I was kinda afraid, and I probably should have been. Akito had decided that beating me up was the best solution. Even though that was three months ago, I could still feel my bruised skin.

I knew that God and the Arctic fox (myself) had had a good friendship, but Akito is not a God nor will he ever be. And my plan was about to be put in action. I had heard from Hatori that Yuki, Kyo and Shigure were living in the woods, not to far from here. There was also a girl who knew about our secret, with the zodiac, and she was also living there. So that is where I was going. I didn't think that I would need any food, because the trip was short and I wasn't really hungry lately. The only thing I needed was my pill bottle, but that was always in my pocket.

Punching windows really wasn't my forte, so I grabbed my biggest rock from my rock collection and threw it at the window. There was a resounding "CLISH!" and glass flew everywhere. Past me, on me, there wasn't a place where there wasn't glass. I needed to get out quick, otherwise, I would be spotted before I even got out. Trying to avoid the glass, I carefully climbed out of the window, leg first.

The crisp air kissed my face as I started hiding in the shadows, to avoid being caught. This was the escape.


	2. Chapter 2: Something to Come

**Crystal: Yay! This is my second chapter! Constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated! Just plain reviews would also be awesome! My basket of virtual cookies is still full! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of its characters, only my own.**

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I checked my watch for the time, setting it on flash mode so I could see through the veil of darkness. 10:17 pm. I was long gone from the main house, and was approaching Shigure's house fast. Or at least I thought I was?

Well, I was walking on a forest path, so I thought I was going in the right direction. The moon was full and some wolves were howling in the distance. No, I did not turn into a werewolf. I am a fox, remember? And you wanna know the funny part? I was born in the year of the Rat, but I was still cursed with the fox.

Now, you should know that in the nighttime, some people get a little drowsy and don't watch where they are going. One of those people is me. _"Ayumi, watch out for stones." _My fox said. Yeah. My fox can talk to me.

"_Don't worry Aku." _I replied. Aku actually means "nightmare" but Aku wasn't a nightmare. I just named her that because it sounded cool. _"I'll be care-" _My mental link with Aku was suddenly cut off. I had tripped on a rock, right next to a steep ledge. This was the perfect scenario if you wanted to get killed.

"AHHHHH! I screamed. I started tumbling down the hill at a rapid pace, my pills rattling inside their bottle. I didn't know how long I was tumbling for, but my whole body hurt really badly, and I was completely dirty. Not to mention hungry, thirsty, and exhausted.

The bad news was, I couldn't get up from my body hurting so much. The good news is, I had crashed into the paper screen of the house. I guess destroying someone's property wasn't good news, but at least I had come to a place where someone could help me. Unless the house was abandoned.

I heard footsteps running towards my direction. It was four people! Unless they were ghosts. Why did I have to worry so much. I couldn't make out their shapes though, because I was too exhausted and my eyes were blurry. Then someone spoke. Their voice was familiar. "Ayumi?" the voice said in a questioning tone.

"The one and only…" I groaned before blacking out. Dear God, please be my luck for once in my life and let this be Shigure's house.

* * *

I groaned, opening my eyes, and having a white ceiling stare back at me. I moved my arms easily, finding that they were wrapped in bandages. Panicking, I quickly bolted up, causing my head to give me a nice present of pain.

"_Where are we Aku?" _I asked Aku, trying to establish a mental link. It worked.

"_I believe we are in Shigure's house, or more precisely, the Dog's house." _Aku answered. _"Have you taken your pills Ayumi?" _Aku asked with concern. _"It is still nighttime, but you need your daily dose."_

"Yeah, yeah…" I muttered out loud, dismissing everything Aku had just said. "I'll be fine…" Just then, the door slid open, to reveal a worried looking girl.

"Oh, you're up!" the girl exclaimed in joy. I nodded my head.

"You're the girl who knows about the secret right?" I asked, worried that she wouldn't know what I was talking about.

"Yes." She replied, sitting down next to me. I mentally sighed. That would have been a disaster if she had found out. "My name is Honda, Tohru." The girl told me.

"Souma, Ayumi." I replied back, cautious as to giving her my name. _"Is it safe, Aku?" _I asked Aku mentally.

"_I believe so." _Aku answered curtly. So she was suspicious too.

"Are you ok?" Tohru asked. "You looked pretty beat up back there. Yuki, Kyo, Shigure, Momiji and Hatsuharu are all downstairs, worried about you." All of them? I was really looking forward to an antisocial evening. But when you tumble down a hill, into somebody's home, being their relative, of course people are going to be worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied. "Why is Haru and Momiji here?" I asked her weakly.

"They were visiting when you crashed into the house." Tohru explained. She seemed really nice and sweet. Exactly the opposite of what I could be. "Actually, Yuki had a mild bronchi attack earlier today, and Hatsuharu and Momiji were visiting, so we all went home together." Yuki had bronchi? Oh well, that didn't matter. The Souma family was really protective over me because they all thought I had some "weirdo condition". Not like I really cared. I didn't even like some of the Souma's

**coughKyocough**. What really mattered was how hard they were going to scold me later.

"Oh, I am sorry for telling you all of this so suddenly!" Tohru immediately started apologizing. "It must be a newsflash to you and I am just making you more stress-" I cut Tohru off.

"It's fine." I spoke with a rather icy edge, feeling annoyed by Tohru's rambling. Then I felt the urge to say something nasty to Tohru. "I can't believe that you-" I cut myself off. I had to cover up now. "that you came all this way to check on me." I said, turning the insult into a thanks. I knew what this meant. I was slipping again.

"It wasn't that far!" Tohru said, trying to be humble. "There's no need to thank me! Would you like me to help you down the stairs?" Tohru asked.

"No thanks." I said trying to be as nice as I could with the denial. I needed to take my medicine without her seeing. "I'll come down in a sec. Just give me a minute."

"Ok!" Tohru responded, not getting the message but deciding to leave anyways. "If you need anything…" she called before leaving. "Just call, ok?"

"Totally!" I called back. When I made sure that Tohru was completely gone, I slowly reached into my back pocket, pulling out my medicine bottle. Thank God the medicine was still there. I knew that taking the medicine wasn't the best thing for me, but I preferred not to get psychotherapy. I really hated psychiatrists. They claimed they knew your problems, and then they would give you stupid suggestions. When you said that the suggestions wouldn't work, the psychiatrist would think that you were crazy beyond repair, and would recommend sending you to a asylum. Psychiatrists worked for some people, but it hadn't worked out for me. And on top of that, Akito got mad that the Souma family was wasting money on a girl that was "broken".

I popped two of the pills into my mouth and chewed slowly. I was really happy that these pills tasted good, otherwise I would have had to go through the pain of disgusting pills everyday. Shoving the bottle back into my back pocket, I stood up. My legs were super sore, so it hurt a little, but at least I could stand.

Walking down the hallway, I could see that everything was made out of wood. This house would catch on fire easily. Hey, it was just an observation, it didn't mean I was going to set the house on fire! Don't judge! I ended up sliding down the stairs, because I didn't want to have to use my legs anymore. At this point, I would say that breathing was too much work.

I got to the bottom of the stairs, only to find six pairs of eyes staring at me. "Ayumi!" a high-pitched squeal with my name filled the air. I looked past Haru to find Momiji coming at me at full force. Not the hug. Momiji hugged me, holding so tight that I felt that I couldn't breath. And the hugging part wasn't making it any better.

"Can't… breath…" I wheezed out, causing Momiji to effectively let go of me. I plopped down on the nearest pillow with a sigh. Oh right, I had forgotten about the other five people looking at me.

"Explain." Hatsuharu said immediately with a firm tone. I prayed to God for him to not turn into "black" Haru. Because if he did, we would probably destroy the whole neighborhood with our arguments.

"Where were you for three months." Kyo asked me, causing me to turn my head in his direction. The cat was starting to get me angry, and he hadn't even done anything yet.

"I…" I said giving a sharp, icy tone to my voice. "Was under lockdown."

"What do you mean!" Tohru gasped in surprise. Great, I knew her for an hour and already she was acting like my Mom. But the trick in that expression I just said is, I don't have a Mom. So I guess I can't really use that expression anymore.

"I got angry at Akito." I began, earning me well-deserved glares from around the room. "I couldn't handle his crap anymore so I stood up to him. That effectively earned me three months in lockdown."

"That was not good Ayumi-chan!" Momiji chimed in. "Akito is dangerous, right Haru?" Momiji questioned. Even the happy go lucky rabbit was showing concern in his eyes.

"Why have you come here now?" Kyo asked, obviously upset.

"I came here, to get away from lockdown! Duh!" I said, hitting the upper part of my head with my hand and making a goofy expression. "I mean, how hard is it to understand!" I asked. Just trying to lighten the mood, hehe.

"Why do you have to make us worry." Yuki suddenly spoke with a sigh. "Your sudden dissaperance worried all of us cursed by the Juunishi. Nobody had known where you went and when we asked Akito, he said he didn't know." That lying traitor! He was the one who locked me in my room for three months in the first place!

"Well its not my fault that you guys keep hunting me down…" I grumbled, my words barley distinguishable. "Yeesh."

"We do have to get permission from Akito to let you stay here though." Shigure spoke up. I had no problem with that. Tomorrow, I would be free of my three-month jail sentence. I just wanted to make Akito mad.

"Kk." I responded, to tired to make actual sense of what anybody was saying anymore. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight guys, and see you later Momiji and Haru." I told everyone, starting to climb the wooden steps. I landed in my bed, in the room I was put in. I was exhausted and I slowly drifted into dream world.

**-Downstairs-**

"She really doesn't care…" Kyo spoke, his voice filling the whole room with his quiet fury.

"Just like the Arctic fox from the story." Momiji commented as well.

"What happened to the girl who used to be so fragile?" Yuki asked outloud, also contributing to the conversation.

**-Back to Ayumi-chan-**

"_You can not escape who you really are…" the voice sounded in my head. _

"_Yes I can!" I shouted back. "I have been repressing you!" I yelled. "Aku?" I yelled more, searching for my lost companion. "AKU!" I screamed this time, hoping that the same wise voice I knew, would answer. Instead it was that cold slimy one. My other side._

"_But how long, dear girl, can you use those pills?" the slimy voice asked, its cold, greasy tendrils touching my warm heart, and turning it to solid ice. "When they stop working what will happen?" The whole world I had been visiting since I was little turned dark. There was only an abyss of greed, lonliness, sacrifice and misery surrounding me now. _

"_There was a reason I built these walls!." I shouted to the air, trying to pinpoint the location of the voice. _

"_Oh, but dear…" the voice responded, not as silky anymore, more like sharp, cold, hard metal. "Those walls are already starting to crumble." My breathing was getting shallow as if something was constricting my lungs. "There is no denying what is to come."_

_The abyss burst into flame, swallowing me up in its fury, and though I felt no pain, I knew in the bottom of my steel heart, that something was coming. _


	3. Chapter 3: Short Notice Packing

**Crystal: Announcing the third chapter of Cold Hearted! R&R and I hope all you fellows reading this are enjoying it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of its characters, only my own.**

Sunlight poured through the windows of my bedroom as I pulled a purple t-shirt down. Apparently, Shigure had thought that I shouldn't go without an education, so he signed me up at Kaibara High. He knew that I wasn't very social, so maybe this is his way of getting me to warm up to other people. Of course, I didn't have the school uniform yet so I just had to wear some of Tohru's clothes for the time being, until I could go get more. Assuming I was going to stay here.

Shigure had to call Hatori and Akito today, to let them know that I had come here. That was probably going to be a disaster, so I was glad I wouldn't be in the house then. "All ready!" I called, slowly walking down the stairs, as I was still recovering from this weekend's injuries.

Tohru, Yuki, Kyo and I all walked to the school together. I stayed behind, not wanting to interact with the three that were already better acquainted with each other than they were with me. When we finally got to the tall buildings of the schoolyard, I sighed in relief. Being in the back of the pack really made things awkward. At least I didn't have to talk.

As soon as Yuki had walked through the school gates, there was squealing like none other I had heard before. People were whispering about Yuki being a prince or something. All I knew was that Yuki wasn't a prince, but a purple haired boy who happened to turn into a rat when someone of the opposite gender hugged him. I wonder if he had to push anyone away, when they tried to confess his/her love for him. That had certainly happened a lot to me. I didn't know what was up with the boys at my old school, but I had confessions five times a week. I was known as the "beautiful heartbreaker".

Then three girls mobbed me. "What were you doing with Yuki!" they all yelled at the same time. "You better have a good reason for this!" One of the three girls (who was in pigtails) screamed. "Or you're going to be seeing the trashcan this morning!"

Now don't get me wrong, I am not the type of girl who punches people for fun. No, I am not that psychotic. But these girls were really annoying, getting up in my face to the point of spitting on it. So I compared worse punishments. Having to suffer with fire breathing, spitting she-dragons, or going to the headmistress's office. You can guess which one sounded better to me.

So I punched on of the girls square in the nose. "EEEEHHH!" The girl screamed as she lay on the ground, clutching her bloody nose.

"Don't mess with me again." I growled. Oh God. I was slipping again. My other side couldn't be right, could it? Were the pills really not starting to work? Before a teacher could come running, I popped another two pills in my mouth. Chewing them slowly, I considered taking another one, before popping a third one into my mouth. I needed to affect to last longer if the teachers were going to keep me for a long time.

"You!" a teacher yelled, as if one cue, from right behind me. She was pointing her finger at me. "Come with me right now!" she yelled again. I begrudgingly followed the teacher, with my head held high, for good measure. When we reached the headmistress's office, I was told to sit down and wait for the headmistress. When she came, she did not look too happy.

"Mrs. Souma. Care to explain yourself?"

"I am sorry Headmistress." I apologized in the sweetest voice I could muster. "But those girls were threatening to throw me in a garbage can." This was the truthful part. "I had some bully issues at my old school, so I was afraid, and I punched the girl in the nose by accident." That was the lying part. The Headmistress sighed.

"It is your first day here, so I will not expel you." The headmistress said, pinching the bridge of her nose. I did an imaginary fist pump. "However, if this happens again, accident or not…" the headmistress continued. "I will have no choice but to expel you. Do you understand?" she asked.

"Perfectly ma'am." I said, smiling my signature smile.

"You may go now." The headmistress said, dismissing me. "Hurry to class, you don't want to be later than you already are." I quickly ran out of the office and to my locker to get my stuff for Math. Then I hurried to class.

"How nice of you to join us Mrs. Souma." The teacher said coolly in seeing my arrival. I guess she was still mad at me for punching that girl. "Now that you are out of the headmistress's office, please go to the front of the class and introduce yourself." At hearing the two words "headmistress's office", I saw Kyo raise his eyebrow in surprise. I just smiled sheepishly and walked to the front of the class.

"Hi!" I said, introducing myself. I could see a couple of boys checking me out and I nearly threw up in disgust. I needed to add a scary affect. "My name is Souma, Ayumi! Please leave me alone or I will whup your butts!" I said, cheerfully making it seem like I was insane. Most of the class looked at me with fear, but Yuki just gave me the "what the heck?" look.

-Later-

I was on the rooftop, eating my lunch. Not the roof but the top of the building where there is rocks on the top. I really found this place peaceful and non-social. Until a group of people came towards me though. More specifically, Yuki, Kyo, Momiji, Haru, Tohru and two other girls I didn't recognize. I did not need to deal with these people right now.

I had already been through a lot of stress. Girls were all giving me death glares, the teachers were constantly yelling at me for not paying attention in class, three boys had already asked me out (I rejected them all) and I still didn't know if Akito would let me stay or not. But rest assured, if he didn't, I wouldn't live at the main house anymore. I would at least try to make my own house out of cardboard in the woods or something before it came to the main house.

And now, the group of loud-mouthed people was coming towards me. Just my luck. _"What should I do, Aku?" _I asked my foxy companion who was living inside my head.

"_If you stay quiet, they should hopefully ignore you." _Aku replied, confirming that a mental link had been established between us.

"Hi Ayumi-san!" Tohru called out, noticing me. "I see you found our lunch place! That's good because…" I slowly drowned Tohru out.

"_Thanks for the advice Aku." _I mentally said, sourly. _"But obviously, your plan didn't work." _

"_I am sorry, but I can't solve everything!" _Aku argued back. Aku and I weren't really arguing. This is just how we made fun of each other sometimes. Aku and I's friendship was unbreakable. I snapped back into the present just in time to hear:

"Who is she?" from the blonde girl I didn't know.

"She is giving off the strangest electric wave signals I have ever encountered." A black haired girl said, coming beside the blonde haired one. "What is that on the corner of your eye?" the black haired girl asked me. I subconsiencily touched the tiny, fading, barely noticeable scar of my left eye. I had gotten this scar as a baby, falling off a chair and hitting the corner of my eye on the glass table. It was nothing major but it was still enough to leave a scar.

"Just a scar." I replied sourly, before she could say sorry. "What is your names?" I asked, wanting to know them for later so I could keep an eye out for these two flimsy girls.

"This is Hana-chan." Tohru explained, pointing to the black haired girl. "And this is Uo-chan." Tohru said, pointing to the blonde haired girl.

"I heard about how you punched that girl in the nose!" Uo exclaimed, "I've been wanting to do that for a long time now!"

"Yeah…" I smirked. I lifted up my knuckle so I could inspect it. It still had some dried blood on it. "But it did hurt." I added. And that's how the only perfect lunch I ever had, was created.

-LATER-

"If three times pie is the diameter of the circle shown below, what is the radius of a circle five times larger than that circle?" Math really sucked sometimes. Math was a really hard subject for me and I often had trouble with it. I had never had anyone to explain to me the curriculum, and the teachers never wanted to do it, so I ultimetly never understood a lot of the concepts.

"Ayumi, would you come down here?" Shigure called from downstairs. I groaned, as I chucked the math workbook to the other side of the room and got up. I ran down the set of stairs and walked into the living room, where Yuki and Tohru were. I took a seat.

"I talked with Akito today." Shigure said, harboring a serious tone. "He says that Ayumi cannot stay, and that she has to come back to the main house by tonight." Tohru gasped.

"There is no way I am going back to living with a psycho and a robot doctor!" I partly yelled, upset at the way everything had turned out. My breaking out had been for nothing, and as soon as I went back to the main house, I would have to go back to the school I had recently been attending before Kaibara High. I wouldn't get to see everyone here for a long time.

I may not have been social, but these were people that I was leaving, that I had started caring about, just like they had always cared for me. _"DON'T TRUST THEM!" _A voice suddenly screamed in my head, causing a sharp pang of pain to hit my head like a tidal wave. Oh, yeah. I forgot the crazy psycho voice that was my polar opposite. And I had forgotten to take my pills. I was slowly slipping, and this time, I had no control.

"I am sorry Ayumi, but it is probably for the best." Shigure said, trying to put out the fire that I was starting. But I wasn't listening. I was already busy dialing the phone number to the Souma Main House.

"What are you doing Ayumi?" Yuki asked, suspicion laced into his voice. I held the phone up to my ear.

"Hello?" a voice asked as soon as the phone had ringed three times.

"Hatori, let me speak with Akito NOW!" I yelled into the phone, probably making Hatori half-deaf for that moment.

"Ayumi, Akito isn't in the mood to-" I cut Hatori off.

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT! LET ME SPEAK TO THE STUPID MAN!" I yelled, completely enraged now. There was silence on the other end. Then:

"Ayumi, what is it!" the cold harsh voice snapped on the other end. I swear I wouldn't notice my other side switching with Akito for a day.

"There is no way I am going back to the Main House! Please let me stay!" I begged. At this point, I was begging more out of desperation of not wanting to see Akito again.

"BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP."

I screamed in frustration, and stomped up to my current room to release my anger on my math workbook.


	4. Chapter 4: The Chess Game

**Crystal: Number four guys! I'm so happy! In case you get confused, when Ayumi is talking about chess later in the chapter, she is referring to Akito and herself playing a game of wits with each other and how it relates to chess. **

**I also want to give a virtual cookie to XxDarkCorexX who is the first reviewer! (Hands virtual cookie to XxDarkCorexX) More cookies are available!**

**Please R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of its characters, only my own. I also do not own any Icona Pop songs. **

You love my love, you never gonna find better love,

You hate my love because you're dead without it.

You loved my love, you never gonna find better love,

You hate my love , you couldn't live without it.

"Ayumi! Come out! We're gonna be late for school." Kyo yelled from the other side of the door to my room. I was trying to drown him out by singing one of my favorite pop songs. "Ayumi, Shigure talked to Akito some more and he convinced him to let you stay here!" Kyo yelled again. At the mention of that, I perked up. I swung of my bed to open the door, but before I could, Aku whispered words of warning in my head.

"_He might be lying." _Aku said. _"Ask him to hear Hatori's voice on the phone to know it's the truth. He is the cat after all." _Aku spit that last sentence out with disgust.

"I want to hear Hatori say that I can stay over the phone!" I yelled, still not unlocking the door. There was a long silence, but then I heard something touch the other side of the door.

"Ayumi." The object spoke, being the voice of none other than Hatori. "Akito says you can stay." He said. I silently fist pumped the air. "But he wants you to know that escaping from the Main House was unacceptable. You should be counting yourself lucky that he was so dismissive this time."

"Yeah, yeah…" I shot back. But it was frightening, I felt that Akito had something else planned. He never gave things up so dismissively.

"Can we please go now Ayumi?" Kyo asked, getting impatient.

"Yupsters." I replied. I slid open the door and pranced out, walking down the long hallway and out the door.

-Later-

"_You shouldn't be hanging out with all these people. They are lower than you." _

"_Shut up." _Aku said, effectively doing nothing to stop the other voice in my head. I hated this voice. Always fighting for dominance and for me to turn completely cold. I was already trying to be more kind to people but this voice kept telling me not to. I was currently taking medicine that was meant for "dissociative identity order" but these days it didn't seem to be working.

It was also kinda crazy that I had two voices in my head. I mean, most people had one. But then again, my family and I weren't normal.

Once again, our group was on the rooftop eating lunch. Everyone was arguing and it was really getting on my nerves. We were about to have midterm tests, but Uo started referring to how Kyo screwed up on the beginning of the year tests. I wasn't there, but I would have really liked to see that.

"You're that kinda guy, who studies for a test really hard!" Uo said starting the argument. "But screws up the test anyways, by studying for the wrong parts of the test!"

"Don't even talk about it! If that damn Yuki hadn't distracted me while studying, I would have gotten a better grade!" Kyo rebutted.

"You know I didn't do anything you stupid cat." Yuki said, in annoyance. "It was your own stupidity that messed up the test."

"That's not nice Yuki!" Momiji chimed in, with his usual annoying voice.

"Shut it, you damn brat!" Kyo yelled at Momiji, causing him to start whining about how Kyo was being mean to him.

"You don't need to bring Momiji into this." Haru objected. "He was only trying to help."

"But I do find his whines annoying." Hana commented. "I do wish he would be quiet."

"Let's get along now everyone!" Tohru now was butting in, trying to make everything better, but making it worse.

"What do you think Ayumi?" Uo, Kyo and Yuki yelled at me at the same time, demanding my decision. I felt really pressured, so I said the first thing that came to mind. Oh well, I'll deal with the consequences later.

"You are all idiots. None of you are right. If you prolong this, I will make sure that all of you "accidentally" fall off this roof." The silence that followed after that was dramatic. Then:

"Hahahahahaha!" Uo started laughing like a mad women. I gave a small smile. Everyone else looked confused but Uo and I knew that I was actually bluffing and I just wanted everyone to shut up.

-Later-

I exited the school building, still inwardly laughing at what had happened this lunch. I noticed a black limo with… Hatori in the front? He rolled down the front window. "Get in." he told me.

"Okay then…" I said, getting into the back seat of the limo. "Why have you decided to come get me?" I questioned?

"Akito wants to meet with you." Hatori said. That was weird. But it didn't make me as afraid as I used to be. I wasn't really afraid of Akito as much as I used to be, but he still made my blood run cold.

I didn't talk anymore as the car started moving. What had Akito called me for? If he was going to get mad at me again, I swear, I would be the first one to aim a punch. When we finally reached the Main House, Hatori guided me to Akito's room. I knocked once and opened the door, revealing Akito, sitting on the steps of his room, and admiring a dove that was perched on his right hand.

"Leave us." Akito commanded Hatori, as I walked into the room. Hatori left, and the two of us were left alone. God and God's loyal friend. "Why did you leave?" Akito asked, his cold, hard voice filling the entire space of the room.

"I was tired of the crap that I was being put through." I answered truthfully, causing Akito's eyes to flash in anger. "As if being beaten up wasn't enough, you had to lock me in my room for three months. Of course, I was going to escape."

Akito's eyes stared at my face, burning holes into my eyes. I was trying my best to keep an emotionless face, but right now, it was pretty hard not to smirk it victory. The chess game had just started with no pawns. It was a full out battle with only rookies, bishops, knights, the queen and the king. I had just moved my knight to c3.

"You fail to realize that you are an equal to me." Akito said, trying to rebuttal. His bishop to e6.

"But you grow weaker." I pointed out moving my rookie to h3. "I grow stronger. My power is multiplying by the minute. Pretty soon, I will defeat you." I said calmly, earning a flaming glare from Akito.

"No matter how far you go, you can not escape the tie we share." Akito said, moving his bishop closer to me, precisely d5. I smirked, knowing what my next move would be. Akito would be too tired to defeat me then.

"But I can cut it." I said coolly, earning a disbelieving stare from Akito. Knight to d5. Knight takes bishop. Black is done playing. White wins.

"Dear Arctic fox." Akito said, done with the game but still trying to prove me wrong. "You wouldn't be so foolish as to take your own life. That would be a stupid move on your part. What would the rest of the zodiac do without their acclaimed God?"

"I wouldn't call it foolish." I said, inhaling deeply. If it was something I needed to do to keep the Souma family safe, then so be it. "You are nothing close to a God and never will be. The zodiac will manage, because they know how. If you think that you have been their resource for survival this whole time, you are sadly mistaken." I stood up. "I have enjoyed this little game." I said with a small smile. "Let's do it again some time."

I walked out of the room, meeting Hatori in the hallway. Before he could say something, I said: "I'll walk." And continued down the long hallway.

I got outside and breathed in the fresh air. I was about to walk outside the Souma residence, when something grazed my arm. A short dagger. I picked it up and observed it. It certainly wasn't the rusty type of dagger, though it was pretty sharp. Who ever had thrown it must have had good aim.

A dove flew past my face and touched my air briefly, making a beeline for a window in the main house. It was only then, when the bird slightly touched my arm that I realized there was a small cut from the knife. Blood had already started to well up, but it wasn't a lot. It was just like a paper cut.

I turned my head in the direction that the dove had flown to. It was perched on someone's arm. More specifically, Akito's arm. His gaze seemed to burn me, as he was looking at me. He had a phone in his left hand.

Soon the windows closed, and I was left in the cold air of early spring. Akito was gone, and the dove was taking a birdbath. Complete silence. It took me a minute to register it in my mind, but finally one sentence stood clear in my mind.

Akito had ordered the attack.


	5. Chapter 5: Thawing Out a Cold Heart

**Crystal: Hi! Wow, that was a pretty intense chapter back there! Thanks and please R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, or the characters. Only my own.**

* * *

"_No matter how far you go, you can not escape the tie we share."_

"_But I can cut it."_

I kept thinking of the previous day's encounter with Akito. Was I really willing to go that far? To really cut the line? _"What do you think Aku?" _I asked in my head.

"_You will do what you must. There will never be another way of abolishing that so called "God" from power. My God is so much kinder than he should be on the human throne. But I know that's not possible. So this is what you must do to get rid of this dictator."_

"Wow, that was a mouthful." I said out loud. I had to get ready for school.

* * *

"Why would Yuri want to sail back to Japan when he could stay on the island and live there forever! There are plenty of resources for him on the island." Uo argued. We had just finished a book discussion in class and Uo and Kyo were arguing as usual.

"Ah, there's no point arguing with you! You're impossible!" Kyo yelled in frustration.

I was so involved in the argument that Uo and Kyo were having that I didn't check behind me to see that someone was coming.

"Um… Ayumi-chan?" I whirled around. It was Hayate-sempai. "Would you like to go on a date?"

At that same time, Tohru had asked, "Ayumi-chan, are you coming?" because our group was starting to walk away.

I was trying to hear what sempai was saying so I just waved Tohru away saying: "Ya, sure." Unfortunately, I think he must have thought I was saying "Ya, sure" to him instead of Tohru.

"Great!" he said smiling. "I'll meet you in the courtyard at eight tonight!" and he walked away.

What. The. Heck. Had. I. Just. Done. "Ahhh!" I screamed, banging my head on the nearest locker. This was a complete disaster. If he hugged me, then I would turn into a fox! And I wasn't even ready for dating yet! Apparently, Uo and Hana had gone to the rooftop already.

"Are you ok Ayumi-chan?" Tohru asked, of course worried. "What's wrong?"

"I have just made one of the stupidest mistakes in my life." I groaned, my face still planted on the locker.

"It can't be that bad." Kyo said, wanting to know what.

"There was some miscommunication between Hayate-sempai and myself." I explained. "So ultimately, I just agreed to a date tonight." Everyone froze. We all knew what that meant.

"Can't you just cancel?" Yuki asked.

"I'll try, but I'm probably going to fail." I said. "But if it doesn't work, be ready to have a failsafe plan."

* * *

"Tohru, what are you doing?" I shrieked. Tohru was currently dragging me down the hallway, down to her room.

"We have to make you look pretty Ayumi-chan!" Tohru explained, nearly throwing me into the chair in her room. To make the long story short, when I walked into Tohru's room, I was fine. When I walked out, I looked like a Goth Barbie doll. That's fine because I love dark colors and I hate colors like pink but I didn't like looking like a Barbie doll.

So right now, I had a black sparkly strapless dress, with knee boots that was also black. I had green eye shadow on, (because Tohru said it matched my eyes) and my pink lips accented everything. Again, Barbie doll.

As I walked down the stairs, I tripped, tumbling down and messing up my hair. I could not walk in high heels.

"Oh Ayami-chan! You look so beautiful!" Shigure explained, starting one of his usual poetic rants. "Like the full moon out on the be-" I cut Shigure up.

"Shut up." I said, smacking him on the head with my purse. He was so damn annoying sometimes, I wanted to hang him by his toes on the rafters and left the ravens peck him to no end. I gave a small smile at the thought.

I left the house, with Tohru waving bye. I took my time walking to the school courtyard because it was only 7:37 pm when I left and I was supposed to be there at eight.

When I finally got to the courtyard, I saw Hayate-sempai sitting on a bench. "Hey!" I waved getting his attention. He stood up.

"Hi Ayumi-chan!" he waved. "Ready to get going?" he asked.

"To where?" I asked, suspicious.

"To an ice cream shop of course!" he laughed, taking my hand and pulling me forward, towards the ice cream shop. It was nice, having someone so humorous and good-natured. Of course, I didn't know all about Hayate-sempai yet but I didn't think he was a bad person.

We were chatting on a park bench eating my our ice creams and having a good time, when Hayate-sempai apologized "I'm sorry for asking you so suddenly." He said. "I would have asked you sooner, but I could never find the time, since you are always around the rest of the Sohma's."

"No problem." I replied, laughing. "I know I'm always hanging around them. They can be so annoying sometimes! But since they're my relatives, I know that they are just looking out for me."

"I know what you mean. My uncle is that way too." He replied, looking down at the ground.

"Your parents?"

"They're dead." He said plainly. A wave of sympathy immediately washed over me. I knew what it was like to not have any parents. It was lonely and sad and you were looking out for yourself most of the time, taking the parent's role.

"I'm sorry." I said. "My parents passed away too. When I was young. It's hard isn't it?" I asked, being able to relate.

"I know right?" he responded, cheering up a little. "But I'm so glad I have someone to relate to." He related as well. "It is hard. When other kid's parents show up for school events or for a birthday. And then it sinks in that you don't have any parents to share that special moment with you."

Then the trouble started. Hayate-sempai moved in to hug me, as seeing nothing was wrong with that. I tried to move away, but it was the end of the bench. So as soon as we touched: POOF!

I needed to get out of here quickly, before sempai saw that I had turned into an Arctic fox. So using the smoke from my transformation, I hid in the shadows.

"Ayumi-chan?" Hayate-sempai yelled, worried. I hated to be doing this to him. But Hayate-sempai started to move closer, until finally, his feet were right next to my paws. "Ayumi-chan?" he asked again, this time more quietly. He had saw me.

Our eyes exchanged looks for a second. In that second, I saw hurt, confusion, and sadness in seeing some one you had just began to love, run away. In just that second, I didn't feel as cold hearted as I was before.

"Hayate-sempai!" someone called, directing Hayate-sempai's attention from the bushes, giving me the chance to slip away. It must have looked funny to some people, a wolf in the middle of Japan, wearing make-up and running through the streets to get home.

But it wasn't funny to me. Because this time I knew that this time, I was actually leaving someone who cared behind. The only person who had ever cared. What had made him love me? Why did he have to love me? This would never work out, seeing that I was cursed (a secret he should never have to know) and he was a normal straight A schoolboy.

But it had to work out. Because my heart was saying so. Because I loved him.

* * *

I really hoped Hayate-sempai was still at the park. I had ran home, borrowed the same dress (that Tohru had given me, (she had bought the same dress as mine)) re-applied my make-up and had ran over here, all the way.

To my surprise, Hayate-sempai was still there, bowing his head down and sitting on the same park bench that the both of us had sat on just a half-an-hour ago. "Hayate-sempai!" I yelled. "Hayate-sempai!" I yelled even louder this time, getting his attention. I ran over to him.

"I'm so sorry!" I said, trying to think of an excuse. "But as soon as that explosion happened, I got really scared and ran. I didn't know where I had gone to and it took me a half-an-hour to get back here!"

"That's fine!" Hayate-sempai said, cheering up. "But the craziest thing happened! I saw a fox, here in Japan! In the bushes!"

"Really?" I asked, feigning surprise. "That's quite an adventure!" I laughed. My heart was beating fast, showing that my cold heart was thawing out. "But I think I have my answer for you." I said. "I love you."

I thought I could also hear Aku say, _"Good choice Ayumi. Good choice."_

* * *

"Not a good choice for you Ayumi." A voice said out loud. "It looks as if I will win the chess game."

The figure made its way to the phone, calling up someone. "I've got a job for you." The figure said smirking. _"I will win this time, Ayumi." _The figure thought. _"Let's see if you can get back on your feet this time."_

* * *

I was at home, lying on my bed thinking about everything that had happened today. It turned out to be Yuki, who distracted Hayate while I ran. And when I got home, Momiji asked if Yuki, Kyo, Tohru and myself wanted to go to the hot springs with him as a White Day present.

But that talk that Hayate-sempai and myself had, really stirred something up in me. I still remember, how my parents died. A train accident. I suppose it was a good thing, that my parents passed away instead of having to have their memory erased. But then, at least I would have had parents to call my own in my head.

FLASHBACK

"_Bring! Bring! Bring!" _

"_I'll get it!" I said to my Aunt, who was babysitting me. My Aunt didn't care much for me, so she dismissively waved her hand at me, beckoning for me to pick the phone up. _

"_Hello?" I asked._

"_Is this is the Sohma residence?" someone asked. I told them yes. "This is the police force. I am sorry to inform you that the parents of Ayumi Sohma have passed away. They were on a train, on their way home, when another train crashed into it. It seems that the train coming forward had a broken track, causing it to collide with the other one."_

_The phone dropped out of my hands, and cold tears started to run down my face._

END OF FLASHBACK

That was the day that I started to act cold towards everyone. I was starting to become the Arctic fox. That was also the day the voices started in my head. It took me a while to speak, eat even.

I still also remember the day I asked Akito a question from my heart. A few weeks after my parent's had passed away.

FLASHBACK

"_Akito?" I asked. "Why did my parents have to pass away?" I asked, still fully not understanding the concept, as I was six at the time. _

"_Why do you think you stupid child?" Akito answered. "They hated you. They hated you for the monster you are. They wanted to go on the train that crashed, just to get away from you."_

"_You're lying!" I screamed, knowing that it wasn't true. Or was it? "I'm not that strange!"_

"_Really, child?" he asked me. "Because if it isn't, why did your parents go out in the first place. Why didn't they stay at home that night? You were born a monster and will always be one. You're definition of love is different from others. Because the others know what love can do. There is no love in this cruel world. Only hate."_

END OF FLASHBACK


	6. Chapter 6: White Day Hot Springs Trip

**Crystal: Hi guys! Four reviews all ready! Thank you so much! I would like to give cookies to everyone who has reviewed so far!**

**I got some really helpful suggestions from TheNekoPrincessofDarkness and Anony (who is a guest)! They both suggested that I should try to take things a little slow. So that is what I am going to try to do! **

**I also wanted to say that some of the episodes I include will be mixed up, not in it's actual order. **

**Thanks again!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of its characters, only my own.**

I was thinking on my bed as usual. This was my usual thinking place but you must have guessed it by now. I was thinking about Hayate-sempai. Yesterday, my decision had been to fast and rash. I had known now for some time that Hayate-sempai really liked me but did I like him in that same way? Or did I just like him because we had something in common? That both our parents died?

"_Well let's name some good points about Hayate?" _Aku asked. _"We know he's smart, you two have some things related."_

"_True that." _I thought back.

"_He is really real about you." _Aku continued.

"But we don't actually know that yet!" I said out loud in frustration.

"_He's funny." _Aku continued to point out. _"And he's been repressing the other voice." _My eyes widened.

"The…the other voice?" I said in wonder.

"_According to me, you didn't have those voices the entire time you were with him right?" _Aku asked.

"No… I didn't?" Was it possible that Hayate-sempai was working better for me than the meds? But no! I couldn't use him for my own personal needs! I growled, and rolled over on my bed, annoyed at the thought.

"_Then let's ask him out on another date, if you're not sure…" _Aku said slyly.

"You're right!" I continued to speak out loud. "I can put our love to the test!" I bolted off my bed and ran downstairs to the phone.

"What are you doing Ayumi?" Shigure called, with his unnaturally whiny and annoying voice.

"Making plans." I said briefly, starting to push the numbers for the Sasaki residence.

"But Ayumi, you said you would go to the Hot Springs with us! It's White Day!" another whiny voice suddenly shouted out. Then I felt something hard collide with my back. I turned my head a little, and there was Momiji.

"_Don't trust anyone." _Oh God, it was the voice again. _"Stay here, and talk to me? Wouldn't that be fun? Oh yeah, I forgot, I go wherever you go!"_

"_Shut up before I decide to hang out with Hayate-sempai." _I smirked, effectively shutting the voice up. Maybe Hayate-sempai did work.

"Gosh I forgot about that!" I groaned. Great. "Excuse me for a sec., Momiji." I said. Then I went to the nearest pillow on the floor, pushed it against my face, and screamed as loud as I possible could. I guess the pillow didn't really muffle anything, so my scream could have probably been heard through the woods.

"What happened!" Yuki came running to the living room as well as Tohru, Kyo, and Hatsuharu.

"I just needed to let off some steam." I replied, perfectly calm but seeing that I scared the hell out of Kyo, Tohru, Yuki, Momiji and Haru. They all had horrified looks on their faces, and that was actually really surprising for Haru because he was usually a calm, go with the flow type of guy.

"So…" I began. "When are we leaving."

-Later-

"Look, look a mountain!" Momiji pointed out an object for the five-hundredth time.

"Please…" I made it sound desperate. "Just shut up…" Yuki and Kyo were disagreeing as usual.

"You two both seem like dark clouds today!" Momiji pointed out.

"Please cheer up Ayumi-chan, Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun!" Tohru said, trying to get up to lighten up a little. While Tohru started to talk to the two, I looked out the window. I wasn't a fan of hot places. And I didn't need to start loving them just yet.

"I feel just like a princess!" Tohru exclaimed in joy.

"If you're a princess then I'm a prince!" Momiji replied, wanting to make Tohru happy.

"Are you a princess too Ayumi-chan?" Momiji asked.

"Wouldn't count on it buddy." I said, rolling my eyes and resuming my staring out the window. We soon got there, and I started to get giddy. It was going to be so exciting, watching Tohru's reaction to Okami-san. She was so creepy when she greeted guests, that I actually liked it.

-Later-

"I'm sleeping with Ayumi-chan!" Momiji announced. I sweat dropped. He really didn't get what that meant. That was so wrong.

"Why do I have to sleep in the same room as that damn Yuki!" Kyo complained angrily, once again. "I have come all the way to the inn just to-!" Kyo was cut off.

"You're saying that…" Momiji started cheekily. "But you really just want to sleep in the same room as Ayumi, don't you! Or maybe Tohru!" My cheeks were scarlet red in less than a second. I think that Tohru's were too, but I was to embarrassed to move, so I was just ridged in a corner.

"Indecent." Yuki stated simply.

"I didn't mean that at all, you pipsqueak!" Kyo yelled angrily. "Momiji, don't say such ridiculous things!"

"Kyo-chan…" I voice sounded in a ghostly manner. Then Okami-san started screaming in Kyo's face. "Even thought you can be a chore, and even though you're the cat, since when did you become indecent like that! How terrifying!"

"Your more terrifying!" Kyo replied, trying to keep his face away from Okami-san's screaming one.

"Oh! I didn't mean to be so spooky, I'm sorry!" she continued screaming. I sighed while staring out the window. I wondered what Hayate-sempai was doing right now. Probably doing something better than this.

"That's enough! I'm fine being in the same room as Yuki!" Kyo exclaimed, getting irritated.

"Whee! A lecture, a lecture!"

"Are you really weak?"

"There's still time before dinner, so let's go take a bath, Ayumi-chan and Tohru-chan!" Momiji cheered.

"Fine." I said.

"Sure!" Tohru exclaimed as her cheerful self.

"Let's go in together!" he said again. Tohru agreed, as blind as ever, but I didn't, having a serious problem with that.

"You're the most indecent…" Kyo said in a low tone, while punching Momiji in the head. That kid was going to get brain damage some day.

"Momiji…" Yuki said, walking over to Momiji and taking his face in his hands. That was so freaking weird. Yuki had this whole speech on how not to tax Tohru and I, therefore not sleeping in the same bed. And this is what he said afterwards:

"Ok. But let's sleep together at night, ok?" he questioned to Tohru and I. We all sweat dropped. He still doesn't get it.

-Later-

I stepped into the hot springs, sighing in contempt as the warm water washed my fatigue right down the drain. Momiji was screaming such a high pitch as he jumped into the boy's side of the hot spring, I thought as first: _"Is he going insane? Because I don't think it's possible for a human with a conscience to be able to do that."_

"_I don't know about him, but I think you are." _The voice said, reappearing. I just chose to ignore it. I heard the splashing from Momiji, signaling that he was swimming. When he chose to jump in it again, Kyo stopped him and made him sit still.

"_When are you going to learn that it takes more than a couple of pills to take care of me?" _The voice said.

"_Never." _I replied, inwardly smirking. There was a sharp pounding in the back of my head.

"I think I'm going to lie down!" I called to everyone, getting out of the bath, and walking to the door of the inside. I needed to stuff a sock in this voice's mouth and I wanted to do it alone.

"_I'm not one to warn you" _the voice continued_. "But I think that something bad is about to happen!" _the voice warned me.

"_What do you mean?!" _I asked the voice,since he was not one to be warning me when danger came. Tragically, out of all the times, this was the time the voice chose to shut up. I was about ready to bang my head on a concrete wall.

-Later-

I had run out of pills. I had completely run out of pills. I thought it had been re-filled before I left!

"Where did my pills go?" I screamed, running down stairs.

"What pills?" Yuki asked, not knowing about my condition.

"Oh those things?" Momiji asked, popping up out of nowhere. "They made sparkling noises when I crushed them and threw them in the hot springs, so I crushed them all!"

You will have to guess how I probably looked at that moment. I was ready to skewer Momiji. "I'm gonna kill you!" I screamed, running after Momiji with him crying for his dear life.

Then a giggle escaped me. I quickly, put my hands over my mouth as everyone gave me confused stares. Sometimes I had different personalities. Most of the time, I was just plain mean, but sometimes I could be giggly, frightened, and shy. It was really annoying.

During this time, my voice and Aku disappeared too. It was something I hadn't totally figured out yet. I just gave the middle finger to all of them and walked away, my anger consuming me. I was so going to get Momiji back. But I had to survive the rest of the trip first.

-Later-

"Waaaahhhh!" Momiji screamed. "Ayumi-chan threw boiling water at me!" I ignored Momiji's pain and snickered. He deserved it.

"You didn't know, Tohru-chan?" I asked in confusion. "Momiji is actually going to start his first year of high school, this semester. He's not THAT little."

"Whaaat!" Tohru exclaimed, her head feeling faint. "All of this is so confusing!" As we boarded the bus, I took out my cell phone. I was gonna make a few plans.


	7. Chapter 7: Why?

**Crystal: Hi guys! Thank you so much for your continued support, and to the people who reviewed! I got two new reviews right away when I posted the last chapter! I was kinda at a roadblock in the story, not knowing what to do, but as soon as I saw those reviews, I got my problems fixed, and I'm back in the action! **

**I have also felt that this story might have to come to an end in the next few chapters. I would like to know, do you think I should continue to fifteen chapters or continue to ten before I stop? Please let me know with your review. So, did I forget anything? I think that about covers it!**

**Ayumi: Actually, you have to do the disclaimer.**

**Crystal: Well thanks for raining on my parade, Captain Obvious. Fine. I do not own Fruits Basket, or any of its characters. Only my own. Enjoy the story!**

"Thanks for taking me out tonight." I smiled, talking barely above a whisper. I still had to keep my secret from Hayate-kun but at least when we kissed, I didn't transform.

"No problem." Hayate-kun replied, smiling. We had just gone to one of the restaurants in town. I was never one for that much excitement. "How 'bout we go to a carnival near-by?" Hayate suggested. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Let's go." I replied. He grabbed my hand and started to run off in a different direction. I was pulled along with him, and before I knew it, I was completely out of breath while staring at a huge Ferris wheel. I had always wanted to ride one of those. But Hayate-kun thought differently.

"Let's go on the roller coaster." He suggested.

"Totally!" I replied, giving him a quick peck on the cheek and then running off in the direction of the roller coaster. It took a long time for us to come to the front of the line, and when we finally did, I whooped in joy. Slowly we boarded the coaster, and the gates closed.

I had a nervous feeling; butterflies were starting to well up in my stomach. But I didn't let it show as we slowly started escalating up the track. My nails were drawing blood from my palms and I was shivering. Then we dropped down, the speed of a bullet.

"WHOOOOO!" I screamed, throwing my hands up in the air, a sense of victory coming from me. Hayate-kun laughed and we both kissed each other. The air was no longer sparking tension, and we were having the time of our lives.

"_Nothing good will benefit from a relationship such as this." _The voice sounded in my head. But that warning turned into a distant memory as the sounds of laughter, cheer, and general happiness floated to my ears, whisking me away to paradise.

-Later-

"Ok class." The teacher droned on. "Remember to do this assignment..."

I was in a land of bliss and chocolate for the next day. Neither Aku, nor my voice could snap me out of it. Everyone noticed it completely. It was no surprise to me that they did. This was an unexpected turn from my usual apathetic self.

"Something good happen?" Uo asked me, teasing.

"You better believe it." I said while staring off into space. Over the last couple of dates, I had been trying to confirm if I truly loved Hayate-kun. I mean, I fell in love in only like, fifteen minutes. I had also been getting to know him better, with dates every week.

"Well whatever it is, we should head to class, so snap out of it." Kyo commented shortly. Then Momiji came along and I saw what he was wearing.

"HAHAHAHA!" I laughed doubling over and falling on the floor. I know it was mean, but I couldn't help myself. "One minute guys, I forgot something." I said after calming down. "I'll be right back."

I ran off towards my locker to get the textbook. That is, until I felt myself bump into something and transform. That something was Takei Makoto, the school council president. A boy.

Takei looked down, only to find the ground. He blinked once or twice in surprise, then shrugged and moved on. I had hid behind a locker in a haste, when there was clouds of smoke everywhere.

I quickly transformed again, and changed back. There was a banging sound in the bathroom, and my ears were quickly alert. I opened the stall door, and quickly peered outside.

Hayate-kun was in the girl's bathroom, with another girl, making out. I marched right over to the two, who didn't notice me, and slapped Hayate-(now sempai) sempai across the face. "How dare you!" I yelled at him, as he turned his head from the side. The girl who was with him started walking away slowly, until she was in a bathroom stall with the door in front of her. "Why?" I asked, my anger already dissipated, and replaced by sadness and tears welling up in the corners of my eyes.

Hayate-sempai just smirked. "What about your parents… and everything else you told me…" I muttered, searching his eyes for an explanation.

"They're not dead, you dimwit." He said laughing. "They're alive and well! And you're a fool to believe that they were ever dead like yours!" Tears started to fall.

"_Stay strong, Ayumi." _Aku told me, but I wasn't paying attention.

"Why would anyone ever date a simpering mess like you?" Hayate asked. My heart was starting to freeze. Falling below zero. "I only dated you for a while because it was a bet. It expires today, I get ¥25267.5 ($250 dollars) and I can dump you!" he laughed cruelly and walked out of the bathroom. Was my heart destined to be like the South Pole? Freezing around the edges, thawing out, then freezing again? Akito had been right. There was no such thing as love.

Then Tohru walked in. She saw me crying. "What's wrong, Ayumi-chan?" she asked, moving towards me.

"GET AWAY!" I screamed, pushing past her and running out of the bathroom, a snotty mess. Everyone but Uo and Hana were waiting outside. They must have seen me transform, and waited outside the bathroom for me. I pushed past them, punching Kyo in the face in the process and ran down the hallway.

"_Told you so." _The voice sounded in my head.

"_SHUT UP!" _I screamed in my head. I ran outside, pushing people away and going into the woods. I could feel bark, and limbs of trees scraping my arms and legs, but I didn't care. Love didn't exist. Love was never meant to be. And I was played like a fool.

I ran all the way back to the house and into the living room. "Ah, Ayumi-chan? Is that you?" Shigure called and walked over to where I was standing. "Why are you- AH!" I punched Shigure's arm with two fingers, hitting his pressure point and rendering his arm numb. Then I grabbed a blanket, wrapped Shigure up in it and hung him from a loose tile in the ceiling. I left him there, running upstairs to my room, slamming the door shut, locking it and laying on my bed, crying into my pillow.

I could hear Shigure's whiny voice, loud and clear saying: "Ayumi-chan! Please! Somebody get me down!" Then there was the slam of the door again, and footsteps running up the stairs to my room. "Kyo, Yuki, Momiji! Anyone! You're here so why won't you help me?!" Shigure sobbed, still hanging upside down.

"Ayumi! Open up!" Kyo screamed from the other end of the door, probably wanting to fight me for punching him in the face. I didn't reply, just listened as the door was banging.

"Please Ayumi-chan!" Tohru pleaded. This is always what I would do. Run away from everything and all my problems. What more was there to life? I didn't have any parents, love didn't exist for me, my family had a idiot head that was threatening everyone including me, and I was cursed. I leaned against the door and began to whisper, hushing everyone on the other side.

"Sometimes…" I began. "People depend on love to guide themselves. Sometimes, people depend on hope to guide themselves. But I don't believe in either. I don't believe in love because my heart has been played. I don't have hope because my horrible body is cursed and will never be free. If I have neither, what will be a beacon for me?"

-Later-

I had been in my room for days. Not eating. Not sleeping. Nothing. Just staring up, looking at the ceiling and listening to the voices in my head. Hatori had come, trying to get me to open the door and let him in. Yuki, Kyo, Tohru, Momiji and Shigure had tried too.

At first I would have given up saying: "Fine, I'm coming out." But I was beyond that point of reasoning. Today was the day of the long distance run. I couldn't mope around forever. I needed to move on.

"I'm busting out of this cage."


	8. Chapter 8: A Marathon and A Crazy Day

**Crystal: Hi guys! The eighth chapter! Yay!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, only my own character!**

* * *

I walked down stairs, with everyone looking at me. Kyo came up. "Listen Ayumi, I'm sorry about the other day if I-" I cut him off.

"It's fine!" I said cheerfully, forcing myself to smile. "Today's the long distance race, right? I'm gonna kick your cans!" I said, being competitive to get a rise out of Kyo. I was trying to forget about Hayate-sempai and my personal goal was to not think about him and feel upset for at least the whole week. Today was a Monday, so my challenge started.

"Oh really?!" he said getting fired up. "Well, I'm gonna win against you and that damn Yuki!" he said, pumping his fist up in the air.

"Great!" I said sarcastically while rolling my eyes. "So when do we get moving?"

* * *

I was running as fast as I could, leaving the boys and girls to bite on my dust. Yuki had caught a cold earlier that day and I really hoped he was ok, but we just had to see how it played out. I was nearing a grassy hill with a bridge next to it when I saw someone with black clothes and black and white hair. Could that be…?

"HARU!" I screamed, running towards him and jumping on his back. I liked to scare people, but Haru was usually a rather dazed guy.

"What the hell?" he asked, turning around and seeing it was I. "Oh, hi." He told me smiling.

"Why are you here?" I asked him.

"I left school three days ago because I was hoping to find Kyo and fight him. I couldn't do it before because Kyo, Yuki and yourself skipped the banquet." Oh ya. That thing. The truth is, I had completely forgotten about it and missed it. It was one of the days I was moping. "But suddenly I found myself on a path I couldn't recognize." He continued with a far away look. I sweat dropped.

"Just admit that you got lost." I muttered.

"He's coming…" Haru said.

"What?" I asked. Haru walked up the hill and across the road, tying a string to the road blocker and walking across again with it in his hand. I saw Yuki and Kyo steadily approaching and right as Kyo had almost run past Haru and myself, Haru pulled the string. I gasped in shock.

"Kyo-kun!" Tohru appeared out of nowhere and started to shake Kyo before he finally got up.

"What are you trying to do, you octopus!" Kyo started suddenly screaming at Haru. "I was just out-running Yuki and you had to trip me!"

"If I didn't do that." Haru said. "You wouldn't have stopped." Then Haru looked behind him as if he was on a television screen and said: "This act is extremely dangerous. Anyone other than Kyo will end up with more than scratches so do not try this at home."

"That doesn't mean you can do it to me!" Kyo yelled.

"Um…" Tohru said, not wanting to burst the bubble but seeing incoming people. "Maybe we should go under the bridge, because people are coming."

"Good idea." I said. "This is Hatsuharu Souma. He's a year younger than us, a third year junior high student." I introduced the two and we moved down to under the bridge.

* * *

Kyo had nicely managed to bring out Black Haru. He was a genius (not). They were fighting to no end and it was really starting to annoy me. "This is getting a little dangerous Tohru." I warned her. "You should continue to run."

Haru had head butted Kyo in the back of the neck. "Hey!" I yelled, jogging over to where they both were. "That can cause serious injury in the back of the neck!" Kyo was sitting, leaning over and clutching his neck. I ran over to him and tried to help him out. I wasn't a doctor but I had learned a few things from Hatori in the main house.

Kyo suddenly stood up before I could get to him and pushed me away. "Shut up! This is a man's fight! A girl has nothing to do with it!" he yelled. That made me angry.

"What the hell do you mean by that?!" I screeched. The two boys paid no attention as they continued to brawl. Yuki was quietly talking to Tohru. I was really offended. So I decided to take action.

"Stop it and shut up!" I screeched again, running towards the two, kicking Kyo in the jaw and punching Haru in the face. Bad idea. That made both of them angry with me.

"_That's good." _The voice reappeared again. _"Fight and beat them all. You know you are more advanced then any of them. You have been taking 12 different martial arts since you could walk! Bring the whole Sohma family to their knees!"_

"_No!" _I screamed in my head. Tohru was looking horrified, while Yuki had raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Can you guy stop fighting for less than three seconds! Grow up! The littlest of things set you off Haru! And you!" I said pointing to Kyo. "Are just a baby!"

Kyo's eyes lit up with fire, as he charged at me with fury. Unfortunately, Haru was doing the same. So I had to dodge both of them.

I managed to jump on top of Kyo's head and avoid him, but Haru hook-kicked me right off his head, and I fell, getting slammed on the ribs but Kyo's kick. That was definitely going to leave a bruise. I charged towards Kyo, hitting several different pressure points, and leaving him numb. Then I pushed him back and he fell to the ground, unable to do anything.

I wasn't looking out however and just as I turned around, I received a nasty blow to my cheek. I back flipped and then charged again, punching Haru in the chest. "You call that a punch!" he laughed. "It was so weak, I didn't even feel it!"

I turned my head just a little to see Tohru looking at us with a horrified and worried expression. I jumped up, using my fox reflects and managed to place both my hands on both of Haru's shoulders, turn around in mid air, land on the ground and flip Haru over, into the stream. The fight was over.

"Help me over here!" Kyo shouted, still unable to move and getting worried.

"No." I said blankly. "You were being sexiest and killed my ribs. I am going to have a nice bruise on my cheek thanks to Haru, which I will probably have to cover up with concealer. Both of you deserve this."

All of a sudden, Yuki collapsed on the ground, panting. "Yuki!" I shouted, trying to run over towards him, but suddenly collapsing. I put my hand to my ribs, the place where it hurt and pulled it back. There was blood. I grimaced, and tried getting up, but found that I couldn't because it pained so much. Haru, who had already gotten out of the stream, ran towards Yuki.

"Yuki!" he said. "Another attack?" he asked in question while holding Yuki's shoulders. "What a fever!" he exclaimed. "You should have been more careful with a cold!"

"Ayumi-chan!" Tohru ran towards me, noticing something was wrong, and touched my shoulders trying to help me up. Kyo, who had apparently gotten feeling back into his limbs, also ran towards me, removing my hand from my rib cage and seeing blood.

"Haru." Kyo called. "Ayumi's also hurt."

"I'll call the Main House right now and-" Yuki grabbing his ankle and shaking his head no cut off Haru. Then I said in a hoarse voice:

"Never in a million years will I go back to that place. That retched vile place is where horrors happen."

"Not the Main House, huh?" Haru said quietly, wondering what to do. "Then we should go to Shigure-sensei's house."

"I'll help!" Tohru suddenly called out, letting go of my shoulders and walking to where Yuki was. "I'll help in any way I can!"

"I guess so." Haru said, tipping his head to the side. "You're pretty cute, so you should be helpful."

"Excuse me?" I choked out, wondering what Haru was planning.

"I'm saying, if I have to hug someone, I'd prefer someone cute!" Haru concluded, surprise-hugging Tohru, causing her to squeak in surprise and jump back once Haru had transformed. "Hold me around my neck so I won't turn back!" Haru commanded, having assumed the form of the cow.

Kyo slowly picked me up, a moan escaping my lips from the pain. I wasn't losing a lot of blood at the moment but it really hurt. I might have broken a rib. He put me on Haru's back gently. Yuki slowly got up with the help of Tohru and she helped him next to me on Haru's back.

"Are you sure your gonna be able to carry both of us?" I choked out. "Maybe I should walk." I said, trying to get up, only to have Tohru push me down.

"It's fine." Haru replied. "Just don't move."

* * *

Hatori had come over, checking on me. He had bandaged up my side saying that Haru's kick had broken one of my ribs. I had fallen asleep, and for once not having any dreams.

I had woken up the next day, with Tohru helping me down the stairs and everywhere I went. I admit, it was a little annoying having someone micromanage me all the time but I was also glad to have the help. I had also found out that Yuki had only had a light attack, so he was ok.

Now, we had finished off our three-day break and by the time spring was here, I was fully rested.

I was in the hallway, waiting for Momiji and Hatsuharu to appear when I saw some boys eyeing Tohru and myself. I guess Kyo must have seen it too, because he immediately came to Tohru and my side and punched the wall next to us to scare off the boys. It worked. He slapped Tohru and myself in the back of the head and said "That's what happens when you guys space off."

Then I heard Tohru say: "Hey look! Momiji-kun and Haru!" I once again, saw what Momiji was wearing and started to giggle. Kyo gaped when he saw what Momiji was wearing. Momiji was about to hug Tohru when Kyo punched him to the ground.

"What are you, stupid?" asked Kyo angrily.

"Wahhh!" Momiji cried. "Kyo hit me!"

"You fool." Kyo shouted. "Is there anyone dumb enough to wear a girl's uniform, of all things!?" Tohru was trying to be the peacemaker but so far, she wasn't helping the situation.

"'lo." Haru said as a greeting. "It's ok right?" Haru asked. "As long as it looks good on him?" Haru caused Momiji to cheer.

"And it does look good on me!" Momiji said.

"Yes, it suits you well!" Tohru agreed, causing Kyo's mouth to be agape again.

"That's not what the problem is!" he screamed. Yuki appeared.

"Good grief, what kind of outfit is that, Momiji?" he asked.

Then the student council president, Takei Makoto appeared. People were doing a lot of appearing today. "For any boy to wear the uniform of a girl is beyond pale! It's shameless! And even supposing teachers will allow it, I will not! That is because I am after all, this school's student body president, Takei Makoto! Also know as The Captain of the Campus Defense Force!" he announced, making Momiji start to cry. His lackeys were clapping behind him.

"Yet another idiot…" we all said.

"Indeed!" Takei continued. "No sooner are they admitted than they become nothing but problem-child cases! First of all, what's up with you, Sohma Hatsuharu-kun!?" he said pointing to Haru. "That's white hair, isn't it!? You dare jangle yourself with such ornaments as well? How audacious of you!"

"President." Said Yuki, holding up his hand. "This is his natural hair."

"Yeah." I said. "So back off."

"But it's growing in black at the collar line, is it not?!" the president argued. Haru stuck his pinky finger in his ear. "On top of that, what's up with your outfit?" he now was pointing at Momiji. "Is that your true nature too, Sohma Momiji-kun?" this guy just wouldn't stop. "Have you no pride as a man!? If you keep this up now, then you will be running full-speed into a life of failure!"

"But, but I…" Momiji sniffled. "I look good this way!" Tohru stood in front of Momiji, trying to defend him.

"Um… Please, don't rebuke him so strongly!" Tohru said in a motherly way.

"I'm not rebuking him, Honda Tohru-kun!" the president fired back. "I'm giving him some advice that should be obvious, and based on common sense! Now you!" he said, pointing to me. "You're hair is black! That cannot be right! Pigments of hair don't allow it! And then at the tips of your hair, you have gray! How is that natural! You obviously died your hair to look like a freak!" I gasped in surprise. Did people enjoy bullying me for fun?

"I'm telling you! The Sohma's hair is freakish! Have you no dignity as a woman?" he asked me.

"Shut up, you." Haru inturrupted. He was gonna go black again. Great… Haru cornered the president and starting asking him obsurd questions like: "If I wear trifold socks, does that mean I'm not going to mug people?"

"Black had descended…" we all said at the same time, sweat dropping. Then everybody started imagining what Momiji would look like when he was grown up and how Yuki would look if he wore a girls uniform.

"Haru, don't say that or I'll disown you…" Yuki said angrily.

"An outfit that matches the individual is best, after all." Haru continued, ignoring Yuki completely. The president didn't give up, however, and Haru dragged him into the bathroom, then came back out with him.

When the president walked away I was still confused. "Um… Haru?" I asked. "What proof did you show him that that was your natural hair color in the bathroom?" Everyone around me sweat dropped except for Momiji.

"Maybe she still maturing…?" the all asked except for Momiji.

"All right. You want to go with me then, so I can go through it again?" Haru said, touching my chin and forcing my eyes to look into his. I blushed a bright red.

"_Stupid, stupid! You can't blush! Even if you're not in love, that's practically cutting corners with your "no love" rule!" _I thought to myself, mentally calling myself retarded in the process.

Thankfully for me, Yuki and Kyo whacked Haru into orbit, saving me from answering that potential question and probably making a bad choice.

"Seriously guys though, how?" I asked. Nobody answered, and I got the feeling that maybe this should be something I don't need to know.


	9. Chapter 9: Ayumi's Revenge

**Crystal: Hi! Yes, yes I know. I was really, really, really late with updating! I'm sorry but I had a few things to take care of before I continued this story.**

**The first thing I wanted to say is that we have a guest that reviewed! He/she really wanted a cookie, so here you go! *****Hands guest a cookie***

**The second thing is that I have decided to end with ten chapters! I am really sorry to all the people who wanted this story to go to fifteen chapters or maybe even more. I really like this story and I am proud of it but there are other things I want to move onto, like possibly the sequel, which will be way longer. **

**The next two chapters will be pretty short, but it has a lot of plot in it! Please review! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of its characters, only my own. **

"That's right!" Momiji exclaimed, as Tohru, Yuki, Kyo and myself were about to walk to our class. "Say Tohru, I need to talk to Yuki, Kyo and Ayumi for a sec." I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

"In that case, I'll go back to the classroom first!" Tohru announced, agreeing.

"Sorry about that, Tohru." Momiji said, trying to look sorry. I snorted, and everyone looked over at me. I just shrugged. As Tohru walked away I looked at Momiji with a questioning look.

"So what's up?" I asked.

"If this is some nonsense, I'll whip you!" Kyo threatened. Momiji's eyes grew cloudy, understanding what Kyo meant.

"I heard he was here…" Momiji started slowly. "Akito!" I gasped, putting my hand over my mouth. Kyo turned to me, but Yuki was paralyzed in fear.

"I have to get to Tohru!" I shouted, taking off before Momiji could say more. I ran through the hallways, bumping into a few people, panting, almost out of breath. I needed to get to Tohru at all costs, before Akito did something drastic.

I reached the courtyard I saw Akito talking with Tohru. My blood boiled, thinking he could have already mentally damaged Tohru. I let out a scream, running towards Akito at full speed, despite my shortage of breath. Akito turned around in surprise, only for his face to be met by my fist.

"You bastard!" I screamed, ready to punch him again.

"Ayumi-chan!" Tohru screamed.

"What the hell did you do to Tohru? I will kill you!" I screamed. I slapped him across the face once. His once kind looking face dissipated into a look of pure rage. He was about to punch me when I felt a pair of strong arms pull me back. "Let me go!" I yelled, struggling against whoever was behind me.

"Stop Ayumi!" Kyo's voice sounded. "It isn't worth it!" I stopped. What Kyo said had made sense. Akito came up towards me, the corner of his mouth bleeding heavily. He leaned towards my ear and whispered: "You'll regret that soon." And with that, he was gone.

* * *

Pretty much the whole family was in our living room. I held my chin up, a look of pure defiance on my face.

"That was not wise." Hatori spoke, causing me to look his way. "Akito has graciously let you stay here, and you do this kind of thing…" I started laughing ironically. Everybody looked at me in surprise.

"You shouldn't be laughing! This is no joking matter!" Hiro yelled, murmers of agreement sounding throught the room.

"He's graciously let me stay with you guys?" I laughed. "Akito is nothing but a idiot! He thinks he can control all of us, but is he really the God he thinks he is?"

"_That's right Ayumi…" _The inner voice spoke, encouraging me._ "Release your inner anger…" _And for once I wanted to obey the voice.

"What are you thinking Sissy?" Kisa asked, worried for my sake. They shouldn't have been though. I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself.

"Look, Akito got what he deserved." There were gasps from many people. "You may not like me saying this but there was never a God this horrible. Akito is no God. He is a dictator." More gasps.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Kyo got up, only to open the door to the face of the Sohma God. "Akito." Kyo addressed, with a stony face.

"I wish to see Ayumi."


	10. Chapter 10: Don't be Cold Hearted

**Crystal: Hi everyone! This is the last chapter! Thank you to all who have reviewed and supported me! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of its characters, only my own. **

I got up, all eyes on me. "Don't do anything stupid." Haru's voice sounded. I didn't answer to his statement. Instead:

"I'll make this quick." I walked towards the door, stepping outside when I finally reached it. "What do you want?" I asked. Suddenly my hair was being yanked up, and I was thrown to the ground. I let out a gasp of surprise. My clothes had gotten soaked, as it had started to pour.

There was a sharp pound in my head. _"Fight back Ayumi!" _Aku spoke. I got up slowly only to be punched in the gut and flying in the air. I groaned, sliding in the mud. My hands, hair and clothes were caked with mud.

"You're worthless!" Akito screamed. "You will never be special! I am! I'm God! You're just a insecure girl with a petty life!" One by one, the insults kept coming at me, until one made my blood boil for the second time that day.

"You're parents were a mistake to this world! They deserved to die!" I suddenly stood up. Akito slowly backed away from me, a look of bewilderment on his face. I looked at my hands, to find they were glowing a startling blue.

"_No Ayumi!" _the voice screamed, but the glowing didn't stop.

"You can't control me anymore!" I screamed. And with that, the blue light spread. I felt the voice screaming in my head, as it vanished from my mind.

"_Good luck Ayumi." _Aku spoke, then disappeared also. I couldn't see Akito anywhere. And then the blue light consumed me and I knew no more.

* * *

Everyone in the room gasped, as they felt a part of themselves leave. The curse had broken. They could no longer be subjected to pain.

A voice laughed in the air, causing everyone to look around wildly. "Hey guys! Don't do anything stupid like forget about me or anything!" and then it disappeared.

"Was that…" Kyo trailed off. "Was that Ayumi?" The whole group rushed outside to see if Akito and Ayumi were still there. But nothing remained but the mud formed by the pouring rain.

"All my memories. I will keep them in my heart. And believe in them forever. Because I want to believe that no memories should be forgotten. Someday… Someday, they will make me a stronger person. And someday… Eventually… They will be a distant, dim sadness. I want to believe so. Be happy and be safe. And most importantly, don't forget to put on a smile." And with that Ayumi's wildly silvery and melodic voice vanished, leaving the cold hearts of everybody in the pouring rain.

But Ayumi had told them to have warm hearts, rather then be cold hearted.


	11. Chapter 11: An Explanation

**Crystal: Hi everyone! No, this isn't another chapter unfortunately…. I am here to explain a few things about this story. **

**I got a review saying that he/she didn't understand what went on in the last chapter. Basically, Ayumi was tired of being pushed around in more ways then one, and in the first chapter it explained that the spirit of the fox was born in a special way (look at the first chapter for reference), as God's equal with special powers. So her powers activated, destroying Akito and breaking the Sohma curse. But in the process, Ayumi disappeared, and her memory was permanently erased. Her mind now believes that she has leaded a different life. So, like a clean slate. **

**The second thing is that I am announcing that I am planning to make a sequel to this story. It will be titled "Warm Hearted" and will be coming out soon. "Warm Hearted" is basically about Ayumi starting a new life, her old one being erased, and excepting the Sohma's into her life. So she's in the same position as Tohru was when she began to live with the Yuki, Kyo and Shigure, but the plot is different. **

**Thank you for everyone's support on this story. I really appreciate it and I hope you're all excited about the sequel! Please feel free to PM me or review if you have any questions!**

**~ Crystal Lotus**


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